When did Solomon's Key release?

Solomon's Key was first released on July 1, 1986.

Solomon's Key

Jul 1, 1986PlatformPuzzleArcadeArcadeCommodore C64/128/MAXZX SpectrumAtari ST/STEDOS

Solomon's Key — frequently asked questions

What platforms is Solomon's Key on?: Solomon's Key was released on Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, Nintendo Entertainment System, IBM PC, PC Engine, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy.
When did Solomon's Key release?: Solomon's Key was first released on July 1, 1986.

About Solomon's Key

Solomon's Key is a puzzle game developed by Tecmo in 1986 for arcade release on custom hardware based on the Z80 chipset. The game is generally recognized as one of the most difficult games to appear on the NES. The player, controlling a sorcerer known only as Dana must overcome unlimited enemy spawning, challenging level designs, a countdown timer, instant death from any physical contact with enemies, and limited ways to dispatch enemies.

Summary via IGDB.

Game details

Platforms: Arcade, Commodore C64/128/MAX, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST/STE, DOS, Amstrad CPC, Sega Master System/Mark III, Nintendo Entertainment System, IBM PC, PC Engine, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy
Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: U.S. Gold
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer
Themes: Fantasy

Details via IGDB.

Reception

IGDB rating

70/100

from 27 ratings

Every version compared

Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release

Platform	Year	Loose	Complete	Sealed	Fake risk
Sega Master System	1988	—	$67	—	Low (look-alike)

Also released on: Arcade · Commodore C64/128/MAX · ZX Spectrum · Atari ST/STE · DOS · Amstrad CPC · Sega Master System/Mark III · Nintendo Entertainment System · IBM PC · PC Engine · Famicom Disk System · Game Boy. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.

Collector value & authenticity

Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28

Loose

—

Complete

$67

few sales

Sealed

—

How often it sells

Loose: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
Complete: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
Sealed: about once a year

Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.

Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.

Release record

Territory	Date	Product number
Japan	17 April 1988	002

Source: Product numbers: MAME's Master System software list and the No-Intro serial records in the libretro database, published only where both agree on the same cartridge dump; Japanese numbers also checked against Sega Japan's software list. Board and ROM numbers: MAME's software list

Region: JP
Released: 1988
Authenticity: Low

Modern re-releases, such as Sega Ages and Virtual Console, are not tracked hereLow look-alike risk

Sega Master System prices, all games & how to spot a fake

A Japan-only port of the NES puzzle game, for collectors of Japanese cartridges.

Released in Japan on 17 April 1988 as Solomon no Kagi: Oujo Rihita no Namida, this Master System cartridge was developed by Aisystem Tokyo and published by Salio. It is a port of the NES version of Solomon's Key, Tecmo's 1986 arcade puzzle game.

Also on other platforms

Arcade · NES · Commodore 64 · Amstrad CPC · ZX Spectrum · Atari ST · IBM PC · PC Engine · Famicom Disk System · Game Boy

Arcade	Tecmo
PC Engine	Pack-In-Video
Game Boy	Graphic Research

NES. The NES version, which this Master System port is based on, has 64 levels, 15 of them secret.
PC Engine. In 1990 the PC Engine version was released as Zipang, with the art redone as a tie-in with a movie of the same name.
Game Boy. The Game Boy version came out in April 1991 under the title Solomon's Club.

Before you buy

This is a Japan-only release. Japanese cartridges are a different, smaller shape and do not fit a Western console without an adapter, so check what you are playing it on before buying. The look-alike risk is low.